Packaging box

ABSTRACT

A packaging box includes a foldable outer panel having a substantially rectangular wall-forming section with two opposite first bounding ends, two opposite second bounding ends extending between and interconnecting the first bounding ends, and a plurality or spaced-apart first folding lines that extend substantially parallel to and between the first bounding ends and that divide the wall-forming section into a plurality of surrounding walls. An object-retaining section is connected foldably to and extends away from one of the first bounding ends in a direction parallel to the second bounding ends, and has at least one retaining hole. A foldable inner panel is connected to one of the surrounding walls, and has two opposite end walls foldably disposed on the one of the surrounding walls.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority of Taiwanese Application Number 104201417, filed on Jan. 29, 2015.

FIELD

This disclosure relates to a packaging box, more particularly to a packaging box having a limiting structure formed from folding the packaging box.

BACKGROUND

A conventional packaging box made of paper is usually formed by assembling together a plurality of cardboards, and generally includes a cardboard main body that serves as an outer casing of the packaging box and that defines a receiving space, and a partition unit dividing the receiving space into a plurality of compartments. Objects may be neatly arranged and received in the compartments of the packaging box.

The partition unit mostly includes a plurality of cross-shaped dividers each of which consists of two or more partition cardboards that are perpendicularly inserted into each other to form a cross-shaped structure. To assemble the conventional packaging box, firstly, the cardboard main body is folded to form the outer casing of the packaging box, and the partition cardboards are connected one by one to each other to form the cross-shaped dividers. Then, the cross-shaped dividers are placed in the receiving space. The assembly of the packaging box is thus complicated and labor-intensive. Further, a gap usually exists between one of the compartments and the received object so that the object, is likely to rock and cannot be fixedly positioned. Moreover, because the cardboard is thin, if the objects are fragile, for example, glass bottles, two adjacent objects are likely to hit each other and break. Additionally, if it is desired to increase the compartments in the receiving space, more partition cardboards must foe consumed. Hence, the conventional packaging box is not environmentally friendly, and the production cost thereof is high.

SUMMARY

Therefore, the object of the present disclosure is to provide a packaging box that is capable of alleviating at least one of the drawbacks of the prior arts.

According to this disclosure, a packaging box having a folded configuration and a spread configuration comprises a foldable outer panel and a foldably inner panel. The foldable outer panel includes a substantially rectangular wall-forming section and an object-retaining section. The wall-forming section has two opposite first bounding ends, two opposite second bounding ends extending between and interconnecting the first bounding ends, and a plurality of spaced-apart first folding lines that extend substantially parallel to and between the first bounding ends and that divide the wall-forming section into a plurality of surrounding walls. The object-retaining section is connected foldably to one of the first bounding ends and extends away from the one of the first bounding ends in a direction parallel to the second bounding ends. The object-retaining sect ion has at least one retaining hole. The foldable inner panel is connected to one of the surrounding walls formed between the first folding lines, and has two opposite end walls foldably disposed on the one of the surrounding walls. When the packaging box is placed in the spread configuration, the end walls are able to lay flat on the one of the surrounding walls and to respectively and outwardly project from the second bounding ends in opposite directions. When the packaging box is placed in the folded configuration, the end walls upstand from the one of the surrounding walls, the wall-forming section is folded along the first folding lines to surround the end walls and to cooperate with the end walls to form a receiving space, and the object-retaining section is folded along the one of the first bounding ends and is disposed across the receiving space and between the end walls. The at least one retaining hole is adapted to receive and retain an object in the receiving space.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiment of the disclosure, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a packaging box according to the embodiment of the present disclosure in a spread configuration;

FIG. 2 to FIG. 6 are perspective views to illustrate consecutive steps of how the embodiment is transformed from the spread configuration to a folded configuration; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the embodiment in the folded configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A packaging box according to the embodiment of the present disclosure has a spread configuration, as shown in FIG. 1, and a folded configuration, as shown in FIG. 7.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 7, the packaging box of the embodiment is shown to comprise a foldable outer panel 1 and a foldable inner panel 2,

The foldable outer panel 1 is a single-piece paper board having a substantially rectangular shape, and includes a substantially rectangular wall-forming section 11, a flange part 12 and an object-retaining section 13. The wall-forming section 11 has two opposite first bounding ends 111, and two opposite second bounding ends 112 extending between and interconnecting the first bounding ends 111. A plurality of spaced-apart first folding lines 113 extend substantially parallel to and between the first bounding ends 111, and divide the wall-forming section 11 into a plurality of surrounding walls 114. In this embodiment, four first folding lines 113 are provided.

The object-retaining section 13 is connected foldably to one of the first bounding ends 111 and extends away from the one of the first bounding ends 111 in a direction parallel to the second bounding ends 112. The object-retaining section 13 has a connecting part 131 connected foldably to the one of the first bounding ends 111, an extension part 132 that projects from one side of the connecting part 131 opposite to the one of the first bounding ends 111, and two spaced-apart retaining holes 133 formed in the extension part 132. The extension part 132 has two opposite sides that are parallel to the second bounding ends 112 and that are indented respectively from the connecting part 131 along directions parallel to the first bounding ends 111. The connecting part 131 has two first notches (131 a) that respectively adjoin the two opposite sides of the extension part 132 and that extend in a direction parallel to the second bounding ends 112.

The flange part 12 is connected foldably to and projects from the other one of the first, bounding ends 111 in a direction parallel to the second bounding ends 112, and has two third notches 121 extending in a direction parallel to the second bounding ends 112 and respectively aligned with the first notches (131 a).

The foldable inner panel 2 is a single-piece paper board having a substantially rectangular shape, and includes two opposite end walls 21 foldably disposed on one of the surrounding walls 114, a base part 22 that is connected foldably between the end walls 21 and that is superimposed fixedly on the one of the surrounding walls 114, and two second folding lines 23 each of which is disposed between one of the end walls 21 and the case part 22. The two opposite sides of the extension part 132 are substantially and respectively aligned with the second folding lines 23. Each of the end walls 21 is foldable along a respective one of the second folding lines 23, and has a second notch 211 that is engageable with a respective one of the first notches (131 a). In this embodiment, each end wall 21 further has a notch edge 212 formed in the second notch 211, and a notch open end 213 opposite to the notch edge 212. The notch edge 212 is stepped to form a deep edge portion (211 a) and a shallow edge portion (211 b). The deep edge portion (211 a) is able to engage the object-retaining section 13, while the shallow edge portion (211 b) is able to engage the flange part 12. A depth of the deep edge portion (211 a) front the notch open end 213 is larger than a depth of the shallow edge portion (211 b) from the notch open end 213.

In this embodiment, the base part 22 is connected to the one of the surrounding walls 114 that is located at a central portion of the outer panel 1 between two adjacent ones of the first folding lines 113. The second folding lines 23 are disposed parallel to and between the second bounding ends 112, and are spaced apart from the second bounding ends 112. In the spread configuration, the end walls 21 are able to lay flat on the one of the surrounding walls 114 and to respectively and outwardly project from the second bounding ends 112 in opposite directions, as best shown in FIG. 1.

By folding the outer panel 1 and the inner panel 2, the packaging box of this embodiment can be placed in the folded configuration, as shown in FIG. 7. In the folded configuration, the end walls 21 are spacedly parallel to each other, and upstand from the one of the surrounding walls 114 inwardly of the second bounding ends 112. Further, the wall-forming section 11 is folded along the first folding lines 113 to surround the end walls 21 and to cooperate with the same to define a receiving space 3. Specifically, referring to FIGS. 2 to 4, the end walls 21 are folded along the second folding lines 23 so as to be spacedly parallel to each other and to upstand from the one of the surrounding walls 114, the object-retaining section 13 is folded along the one of the first bounding ends 111 so as to extend the extension part 132 between the end walls 21, and the first notches (131 a) are respectively interlocked with the second notches 211 so that the object-retaining section 13 is engaged to and retained in the deep edge portions (211 a) of the second notches 211 and the end walls 21 are engaged to and retained in the first notches (131 a), thereby fixing the object-retaining section 13 to the end walls 21.

With reference to FIG. 5, consequently, the object-retaining section 13 is disposed across and fixed in the receiving space 3 so that the retaining holes 133 can respectively receive and retain two objects 4 therein. In this embodiment, the objects 4 are bottles of nail polish. The shape of each retaining hole 133 matches with the sectional profile of each object 4, so that each object 4 will not move relative to the respective retaining hole 133. Further, the objects 4 are in a spaced apart fashion so that they will not hit each other. The number and shape of the retaining holes 133 may be adjusted according to the number and shape of the object 4 to be packaged, and are not limited to the disclosure of this embodiment. Only one retaining hole 133 may also be acceptable.

With reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, the flange part 12 is folded along the other one of the first bounding ends 111 and is stacked on the object-retaining section 13, and the third notches 121 are respectively disposed on the first notches (131 a) and interlocked with the shallow edge portion (211 b) of the second notches 211 to enable the flange part 12 and the object-retaining section 13 to commonly engage the second notches 211, so that the two opposite first bounding ends 111 of the wall-forming section 11 adjoin each other. Through this, the outer panel 1 can form a continuous surrounding wall and can be stably fixed, so that the packaging box of this embodiment has a smooth and appealing appearance, and has no need for additional use of glue for bonding.

In this embodiment, with the shallow edge portion (211 b) of each second notch 211 engaging and retaining the flange part 12 and with the deep edge portion (211 a) thereof engaging and retaining the object-retaining section 13, the flange part 12 can be easily moved out of the second notches 211 than the object-retaining section 13 to facilitate opening of the packaging box in the folded configuration. Further, as the flange part 12 is moved out of the second notches 211, the object-retaining section 13 remains retained in the second notches 211 to facilitate removal of the object 4 from the packaging box. It should be noted that each of the second notches 211 having a single depth may also be implemented. That is, the notch edge 212 of each second notch 211 may be omitted.

Moreover, with reference to FIG. 7, in the folded configuration, the end walls 21 are indented with respect to the second bounding ends 112, so that two opposite ends of the packaging box respectively form a buffer space. When the ends of the packaging box hit the ground or a large foreign material, the ends wall 21 will not be directly hit. Through this, not only the end walls 21 are prevented from being damaged, but also the objects 4 in the receiving space 3 are protected.

In sum, the packaging box of this embodiment can be placed from the spread configuration to the folded configuration, and the object-retaining section 13 is disposed across and fixed in the receiving space 3 to retain the objects 4 in the receiving space 3. Through this, the step of assembling the partition unit of the conventional packaging box can be omitted, so that the assembly of the present disclosure is simplified. Further, the shape of each retaining hole 133 matches with that of each object 4 so that the objects 4 will not move relative to the respective retaining holes 133 and may be effectively retained in the retaining holes 133. Therefore, the object of this disclosure can be realized.

While the present disclosure has been described in connection with what is considered the exemplary practical embodiment, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretations and equivalent arrangements. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A packaging box having a folded configuration and a spread configuration, said packaging box comprising: a foldable outer panel including a substantially rectangular wall-forming section and an object-retaining section, said wall-forming section having two opposite first bounding ends, two opposite second bounding ends extending between and interconnecting said first bounding ends, and a plurality of spaced-apart first folding lines that extend substantially parallel to and between said first bounding ends and that divide said wall-forming section into a plurality of surrounding walls, said object-retaining section being connected foldably to one of said first bounding ends and extending away from said, one of said first bounding ends in a direction parallel to said second bounding ends, said object-retaining section having at least one retaining hole; and a foldable inner panel connected to one of said surrounding walls formed between said first folding lines, and having two opposite end walls foldably disposed on said one of said surrounding walls; wherein, when said packaging box is placed in the spread configuration, said end walls are able to lay fiat on said one of said surrounding walls and to respectively and outwardly project from said second bounding ends in opposite directions; and when said packaging box is placed in the folded configuration, said end walls upstand from said one of said surrounding walls, said wall-forming section is folded along said first folding lines to stir round said end walls and to cooperate with said end walls to form a receiving space, and said object-retaining section is folded along said one of said first bounding ends and is disposed across said receiving space and between said end walls, said at least one retaining hole being adapted to receive and retain an object in said receiving space.
 2. The packaging box as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one retaining hole includes a plurality of said retaining holes for respectively receiving a plurality of objects in a spaced apart fashion when said packaging box is placed in the folded configuration.
 3. The packaging box as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said foldable outer and inner panels is a single-piece paper board, said foldable inner panel further having a base part that is connected foldably between said end walls and that is superimposed fixedly on said one of said surrounding walls.
 4. The packaging box as claimed in claim 1, wherein said foldable inner panel further has a plurality of second folding lines each of which is disposed between one of said end walls and said base part, said second folding lines being disposed parallel to and between said second bounding ends and being spaced apart from said second bounding ends, said end walls upstanding from said one of said surrounding walls inwardly of said second bounding ends when said packaging box is placed in the folded configuration.
 5. The packaging box as claimed in claim 4, wherein said object-retaining section has a connecting part connected foldably to said one of said first bounding ends, and an extension part that projects from one side of said connecting part opposite to said one of said first bounding ends, said extension part having two opposite sides that are parallel to said second bounding ends, that are indented respectively from said connecting part along directions parallel to said first bounding ends and that are substantially and respectively aligned with said second folding lines, said connecting part having two first notches that respectively adjoin said two opposite sides of said extension part and that extend in a direction parallel to said second bounding ends, each of said end walls having a second notch, said second notches of said end walls respectively interlocking with said first notches when said foldable outer and inner panels are folded, whereby said object-retaining section engages said second notches, said-end walls respectively engage said first notches, and said object-retaining section is fixed to said end walls.
 6. The packaging box as claimed in claim 5, wherein said foldable outer panel further includes a flange part that is connected foldably to and projects from the other one of said first bounding ends of said wall-forming section in a direction parallel to said second bounding ends when said packaging box is placed in the spread configuration, said flange part having two third notches extending in a direction parallel to said second bounding ends and respectively aligned with said first notches, and wherein, when said packaging box is placed in the folded configuration, said flange part is folded along said other one of said first bounding ends and is stacked on said object-retaining section, said third notches are respectively disposed on said first notches and interlocked with said second notches to enable said flange part and said object-retaining section to commonly engage said second notches, and said two opposite first bounding ends of said wall-forming section adjoin each other.
 7. The packaging box as claimed in claim 6, wherein each of said end walls has a notch edge formed in said second notch, and a notch open end opposite to said notch edge, said notch edge being stepped to form a deep edge portion and a shallow edge portion, said deep edge portion being able to engage said object-retaining section, said shallow edge portion being able to engage said flange part, a depth of said deep edge portion from said notch open end being larger than a depth of said shallow edge portion from said notch open end. 